Founding Middle School Principal - Career Academy

Founding Middle School Principal - Career Academy

The Founding Principal will open and lead a new middle school campus designed to integrate strong academic instruction with Career and Technical Education (CTE) career exploration and workforce awareness. This leader will design systems, structures, programming, and culture from the ground up. The campus will prepare students for high school pathways, endorsements, and future workforce opportunities while maintaining rigorous Tier 1 academic instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, and science.

The Founding Principal must be a systems-builder, instructional leader, and community connector capable of launching a school, hiring staff, developing programming, and building partnerships with industry and postsecondary institutions.

The Founding Principal will collaborate with community stakeholders and district leaders to create an innovative Career and Technical Education (CTE) learning program rooted in best practices, district goals, and local needs. The Founding Principal will participate in a New School Design Fellowship and be responsible for project management of the opening of the new campus.

• Establish campus mission and vision
• Design a 6–8 grade CTE exploratory program aligned with the LJISD high school endorsements
• Create the school's operating procedures including master schedule, hiring, teacher development, student culture and behavior, academic and intervention systems in alignment with the school's mission and vision
• Recruit and onboard the school's founding staff
• Recruit and provide inspirational orientation and onboarding to the school's founding students and families
• Build partnerships with feeder high schools, business, industry, and postsecondary institutions

In the 2027-2028 school year, the Founding Principal will step into the campus principal role and be fully responsible for the student learning experience and outcomes of JD Salinas Career Academy.

1. Serve as a transformational leader working to create a best-in-class learning environment.
2. Participate in professional development and training to improve skills related to job assignment.
3. Foster collegiality and team building among staff members.
4. Provide for two-way communication with staff, students, parents, and community.
5. Demonstrate professional, ethical, and responsible behavior. Serve as a role model for all campus staff.
6. Develop and set annual campus performance objectives.
7. Lead the development of the campus improvement plan with staff, parents and community members.
8. Delegate leadership responsibilities as appropriate, ensuring strong systems of monitoring, support, and feedback for campus staff.

1. Promote the expectation for high-level performance from staff and students and recognize excellence and achievement.
2. Develop and monitor instructional and administrative processes to ensure that instructional practices are aligned to evidence-based practices and implemented with fidelity.
3. Ensure high-quality instructional materials and resources are implemented with fidelity.
4. Closely monitor student growth and achievement data in alignment with district strategic plan and Texas Accountability System (STAAR) to ensure the campus tracks towards and achieves a positive state rating
5. Utilize campus data for corrective action leading to improvement, as well as for recognition of success.
6. Provide professional learning to support the teaching staff in accomplishing the school's instructional goals.
7. Evaluate and adjust educational programs and approaches to ensure rapid student acceleration.
8. Establish clear expectations for staff performance with regard to instructional strategies, classroom management, and communication with the parents, families, and community members.
9. Disaggregate and interpret data in order to assist in developing appropriate next steps for campus improvement.
10. Support teachers in analyzing data and developing action plans to improve teaching and learning.

1. Ensure every student is on path to high-school readiness, fully aware of and ready to choose rigorous academic and CTE pathways.
2. Lead and support robust arts, athletics, and extracurricular programming, including supervision, evaluation, and feedback of directors, coaches and sponsors.
3. Lead and nurture a quality counseling and advising program, ensuring support for students academically, behaviorally and with high school planning.
4. Create a campus environment and system that ensures strong daily attendance and minimal chronic absenteeism on campus, connecting students and families to resources and support as necessary.
5. Serve as the executive, dynamic leader required for the middle school environment leading with vision, integrity and strategy.

1. Lead, implement and support Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) that create positive relationships amongst teachers and administrators while fostering a team culture of open sharing, risk taking and shared leadership, to work effectively as a team.
2. Ensure PLCs develop and improve teacher instructional capacity.
3. Develop and lead a strong Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) for the campus.

1. Regularly consult the Instructional Leadership Team about planning, operation, supervision, and evaluation of campus education programs. Include students and community representatives when appropriate.
2. Provide coaching and meaningful feedback to teachers and staff with the intent of improving employee performance.
3. Support and evaluate teachers with regular classroom visits and providing timely formative and summative feedback to teachers.
4. Provide instructional feedback to teachers, administrators, and staff based on classroom observations and walk-throughs.
5. Coach and develop the Assistant Principal.

1. Create, cultivate and lead a culture of excellence, support, and community for all stakeholders.
2. Work with faculty and students to develop a student behavioral support system that results in positive student and staff behavior and enhances the school climate.
3. Facilitate effective and timely resolution of conflicts.
4. Identify, analyze, and apply research findings (e.g., effective school correlates) to promote school improvement.
5. Enhance students' social, emotional, behavioral, and academic achievement.
6. Act as campus behavior coordinator in accordance with state laws and regulations.
7. Ensure that school rules are uniformly applied and that student discipline is appropriate and equitable in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and student handbook.
8. Follow all policies, practices, and procedures that create optimal learning conditions for students with special needs in alignment with IDEA
9. Conduct conferences about student and school issues with parents, students, and teachers
10. Ensure that students are adequately supervised during non-instructional periods.

1. Select, train, supervise and evaluate all staff fairly and in alignment with proper policies and procedures.
2. Ensure accurate documentation on any and all recommendations relative to assignment, retention, discipline and dismissal.
3. Observe employee performance, record observations, and conduct evaluation conferences with staff with the lens of both support and accountability for all employees.
4. Coach staff and help them identify and develop appropriate professional growth opportunities as well as accomplish improvement goals.
5. Work with campus-level planning and decision-making committees to plan professional development activities.

1. Articulate the school's mission to the community and solicit its support in realizing the mission.
2. Communicate with parents, families, and communities on a regular and consistent basis to ensure clear and consistent messaging to parents on both campus and district information and events
3. Engage with parents, families, and community members to increase parental involvement on the campus
4. Demonstrate awareness of school and community needs and initiate activities to meet those needs using appropriate and effective techniques to encourage community and parent involvement.
5. Communicate the purpose of the CTE middle school model to families
6. Host family information sessions and outreach events
7. Build partnerships with community organizations and workforce partners
8. Increase parent involvement and school pride

1. Plan daily school activities by leading the development of class schedules, teacher assignments, and extracurricular activity schedules.
2. Ensure all employees follow proper protocols to maintain accurate records (i.e. grades, attendance, other required documentation)
3. Ensure that all administrative duties and tasks delegated to the campus are completed in a timely manner to ensure alignment to state and local policies
4. Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents required including accurate and timely reports.
5. Lead safety inspections and drills.
6. Report any and all facilities issues that present a safety concern on the campus.
7. Work with faculty and staff to compile annual budget requests based on documented program needs
8. Develop budgets based upon documented Campus Needs Assessments, estimated enrollment, personnel,